I knew what this was building towards going in.
I've known for years. The central setpiece has made the rounds on YouTube since before 720p was an option on there.
I still choked during the bombing. I sat in silence as my spine stiffened and my breath ceased for almost 3 minutes. I cried as a result of the pure gut churning horror that was served to me on my choice of viewing pleasure this day.
There is no reasonable…
Western Animation in particular has been long trying to recreate the stone cold majesty of the Disney Renaissance for decades now. Ever since the release of FANTASIA 2000, which I personally rank as some of the best damn imagery ever produced for public consumption, I've been avariciously devouring cartoon after cartoon hoping to hit that high once again. Most recently, I've had to import my animated joys from across the opposite ocean for the last few years, with a few…
This was an unplanned addition. Literally the morning of, I noticed a local cinema complex was getting another Fathom Event, this time a pair of Karloff features just in time for the beginning of the spookiest month. Game as I was, the film surprised me in some ways I was not expecting.
So for those not in the know, early Universal horrors are a bit of an odd bunch aurally. DRACULA, the first smash hit from…
Hoop-Tober Nein, Grave #
> William Grefe, mix-n-match 3/5
STING OF DEATH is delightful. The barrel-bottom charm of getting a bunch of "college students" together in a sunny locale where they can "dance" the days away and reuse countless shots of ladies' bathing suit bottomed behinds and bobbing bobbed heads of hair to inane music about sun and girls and summer while a jellyfish man monster terrorizes the populace is great fun. It exceeded expectations for schlock of this very variety.…
Mi madre told me that if the girlfriend didn't like this movie, it isn't meant to be.
In many ways the anti-Gone with the Wind of the Hollywood epics. Similar situation and concepts, but far different approaches. This film actually addresses the racism that GWTW wouldn't dare touch due to the racial atmosphere at the time, though Civil Rights still had a ways to go when this was released.
I really admired the arc that Rock Hudson's character had, actually making me care for him as a performer for the first time. Liz Taylor is luminary as always. And James Dean's metamorphosis from rough edged ranch hand to drunkenly Howard Hughes archetype was certainly something to behold au cinema.
